Flush valves



J. J. FILLIUNG Sept. 3, 1963 FLUSH VALVES Filed Oct. 8, 1959 Fig. 3

IN VEN TOR. Jncouss J. F/LL/UNG PA RKEI? 6 CARTER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,102,711 FLUSH VALVES Jacques J. Filliung, Chicago, 11., assignor to Sloan Valve Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 8, 1959, Ser. No. 845,235 3 (llaims. (Cl. 251-54) The present invention relates in general to flush valves but more particularly to an improved flush valve for flushing water closets and other plumbing fixtures.

An object of the invention is to design a new and improved flush valve particularly for use with corrosive or salt waters, and in which the valve operating parts are all sealed or isolated from direct contact with such impure waters.

Another object is to design a new and improved flush valve in which the operation. is not controlled or affected by water pressures or flow in any manner.

A further object is to provide an improved flush valve having a manual positive valve opening means and a timing means independent of water pressures for regulating the amount of water flushed by the valve.

A further object is to provide a novel flush valve which is simple and compact, has few operating parts, and in which the parts are all made rugged to withstand rough usage and wear.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a new and improved flush valve in which all the operating and control parts are compactly arranged within the valve member itself and completely out of contact with the water, thereby greatly lengthening the life of such parts, reducing the possibility of leakage, and enabling the elements to be easily assembled or inspected.

Flushing water for carrying away wastes from plumbing :fixtures is often secured from sources containing impurities including corrosive materials and debris, as well as sea waters from harbors which are commonly used for flushing purposes on shore installations and for ships at sea. The common type of flush valves installed with water closets or other plumbing fixtures are usually provided with small by-passes or metering orifices in the piston or diaphragm to control the valve closing operation. These orifices regularly become clogged and render the flush valves inoperative when subjected to the action or the impure or corrosive waters. The metal operating parts of these prior flush valves are also attacked by the destructive effect of these corrosive waters and are quickly. rendered inoperative by continual contact therewith. Since these flush valves are of the metering type wherein the valve closing operation controls the quantity of water discharged, this metering control is seriously affected and diflicult to maintain under the adverse conditions pointed out.

The present invention obviates all the foregoing objections by providing a novel flush valve in which all the operating parts are effectively sealed from contact with the corrosive waters, so that the operating parts will endure'indeiinitely without repair or replacement. Furthermore, the invention contemplates a novel flush valve which is quickly opened by depressing a lever arranged on a single pivot, while an adjustable valve closing period is provided by a simple, dependable timing \means not controlled by the water pressures as in prior flush valves.

Other objects and features of construction, operation, and combination of elements of the invention not particularly pointed out, are set forth in the following desdr i ption which taken together with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, depicts a preferred form of the invention, and it is to be understood, however, that any number of variations from the exact form shown 3,1 02,7 1 l Patented Sept. 3, 1963 may be employed within the scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Referring now particularly to the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows the novel flush valve on a plumbing fixture such as a water closet;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view through the flush valve taken along the line 22 of FIG. 3; while FIG. 3 is a top view shown without the cover.

In one of its uses the flush valve indicated generally at 5 FIG. 1, may be supported on a water closet bowl 6, for example, and have a water supply connection 7 attached to the threaded inlet d. A throttle valve 9 is usually inserted in the inlet water supply oonection to regulate the proper rate of water fiow through the flush valve 5 to suit the closet bowl 6. The threaded outlet in from the flush valve 5 connects to a flush tube 11 which leads directly into the closet bowl 6 to flush the same. A manually operated handle 12 projecting from the side of the flush valve serves to operate the flush valve when depressed, as will be pointed out hereinafter.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 2, the flush valve body or casing 13 consists of a hollow cylindrical brass casting with the inlet connection 8 preferably formed on the side and the outlet 10 at the bottom. At the top end of the body 13 a flange portion 14 is formed, against which the cover 15 is clamped by means of the series of fastening screws in, as seen more clearly in FIG. 3. The cover 15 and flange lid of the body 13 are preferably formed in square shape viewed from the top, with the corners 1'7 rounded oil for the purpose of accommodating the cover fastening screws 16 in the body flange 14, A thin metal cup-shaped cover or hood 18 is placed over the top of cover 15 to enclose the mechanism thereon, and is fastened as by screws 19 to the sides 20 of the cover 15.

An elongated extensible cup-shaped valve member 25 is arranged axially in the valve body or casing 13, and has an upper flanged portion 26 resting upon a ledge 24 formed in the body for supporting the valve member 25. At its lower end the valve or sleeve member 25 has a rounded nose portion 27 protruding slightly into the outlet it) and which closes normally upon the annular valve seat 28 formed in the body 13 to close the passage through the flush Valve. The valve member 25 is preferably made of some resilient or flexible material such as rubber or synthetic rubber such as neoprene, and in the normal position as shown, is slightly stretched to close upon the valve seat 28. For operating the flexible valve member 25,. a valve stem 29 is provided arranged axially inside of the valve member 25 with its upper end protruding through the cover 15. At the lower end, valve stem 29 is threaded at 3h into a rounded nose piece 31 which is securely fastened to the rounded. end 27 of the valve member 25 as by bonding or vulcanizing, so that the valve stem 29 is enabled to pull open or close the nose 27 from the valve seat 28.

The manually operated lever 12 is provided for operating the valve stem 29 and is pivoted by a single pivot pin 32 on the top of cover 15. A pair of cars 33 and 34 upstanding from the cover 15 supports pivot pin 3 2, so that the lever 12 has limited vertical movement. The end of lever 12 is fork-shaped at 35 to extend and slide under both sides of a head portion 36 formed on the top The timing means includes a cylindrical casing or dashpot 40 having a lower extended portion 41 surrounded by one end of a restoring spring 42. The other end of restoring spring 42 abuts the nose plug 31, so that this spring in the normal position of the valve as shown is constantly urging the valve member closed upon its seat 23 and is sufliciently strong to maintain this closure leakproof despite variations in the pressure of the water supply line that may exist in the inlet 8. The spring 42 also causes a slight stretching of the rubber valve member 25.

The upper end of timing casing 4ft is provided with a flanged portion 43 resting directly upon the flange 26 of the flexible valve member 25, so that when the cover 15 is fastened down on top of the valve body 13 by screws 16, the flange 43 compresses rubber flange 26 against body shoulder 24 to form a leakproof seal be-' tween the interior of valve member 25 and the valve body 13, thereby effectively isolating all the control mechanism within and outside the valve member 25 from the surrounding water passing through the valve. An additional sealing washer 47 is placed between cover 15 and on top of flange 43. The open top end of timing casing 40 is threaded at 44 into a recess formed in the bottom of cover 15, so these parts may be inserted in the body 13 as a unit and facilitate assembly. In order to prevent leakage both inwardly and outwardly from the timing casing or dash-pot 4%, an O-ring seal 45 in the cover 15 is provided around the top of the stem 29, and another O-ring 46 provided at the bottom of the stem in the extension piece 41.

The casing 40 provides a cylinder chamber 48 which is preferably filled with a fluid such as hydraulic oil and within which chamber, piston member 49' is adapted to reciprocate. Piston 49 consists of a rubber or leather cup-shaped member slidable along the side Walls of casing 40 and secured to the operating stem 29 approximately at its mid-point by threaded nut 50 and Washer 51. As the piston 49 is moved upwardly, the fluid from the upper side escapes to the lower side along the sides of the casing walls, whereas when the piston is moved downwardly, the piston cup is expanded or flared against the walls to prevent passage of the fluid therearound.

In order for the fluid to pass to the upper side of the piston as it moves downwardly, the operating stem 29 is provided with a series of passages 53, 54 and 55 extending from one side of the piston 49 to the other. A valve member 56 integral with valve stem 57 is adjustable up or down within the by-pass or passage 54 to regulate the size of the fluid passage therein. Adjusting stem 57 is threaded at 58 in the top end of the operating stem 29 and the threaded opening is closed by a cap screw 59. The fluid chamber 48 may be filled with fluid through the passage 54 in the stem 29 when the adjusting screw 57 is removed.

In the normal position of the flush valve the parts are shown in FIG. 2 with the spring 42 slightly expanded and stretching flexible valve member 25 so its nose portion 27 closes tightly upon valve seat 28 to shut off water flow from the inlet 8 to the outlet 10. Upon manual depression of the lever 12 about its pivot 32, the operating stem29 is quickly raised, thereby pulling the nose 27 of valve member 25 off of valve seat 28, resulting in the immediate full flow of water through the flush valve to flush the water closet 6. At the same time the piston cup 49 is moved upwardly by stem 29 in the fluid chamber 48 thereby forcing the hydraulic fluid in the upper part of the dash-pot to pass around the edge of the piston and the walls of the dash-pot chamber without restriction. The restoring spring 42 is also thereby compressed and, as a result, the flexible sleeve side Walls of valve member 25 may collapse slightly due to this action, since they had been originally stretched, but the walls are constructed thick enough *so that water passage through the valve will not affect the form or shape of the same.

Upon the manual release of the lever 12, the restoring action of spring 42 forces the operating stem 29 downward, together with the nose 27 of valve member 25, to close the latter upon valve seat 28. This valve closing movement, however, is retarded at this timeto enable a definite volume or amount of water to be delivered through the flush valve to properly flush the water closet 6. This slow-closing movement is controlled by the timing arrangement wherein the cup piston 49 is now flared outward against the chamber walls in its downward movement, forcing the hydraulic fluid to pass upwardly through passages 53, 54 and 55 in valve stem 29. The regulating screw 57, however, at its valve end 56 greatly restricts the by-pass or passage 54 and permits only a small trickle of fluid to pass from the lower side of the piston 4-9 to the upper side in dash-pot chamber 48, thereby effectively metering the quantity of water which passes through the flush valve. By adjusting the valve portion 56 of adjusting screw 57 either upwardly or downwardly with respect to its restriction of by-pass passage 54, the time required for the piston 49 totravel downwardly is reliably controlled and consequently any desired amount or volume of water may be thus delivered by the flush valve during the valve closing movement.

When the nose portion 27 engages valve seat 28, water flow through the flush valve is completely shut off. The tension in restoring spring 42 is sufficient to hold the valve member closed tightly on its seat 28 regardless of the inlet water pressures which may be encountered. Since the nose portion 27 is rounded off as shown, the water flow near the end of the valve closing movement will be tapered off, allowing for the refill portion of the flow to take place into the closet bowl, and seal the trapway therein.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present novel flush valve provides a simple and effective arrangement in which all of the operating parts or elements are completely isolated from direct contact with the Water flow, so that any impurities or corrosive matter carried along thereby cannot possibly contact the operating parts to affect the operation of the valve. Constant repairs and maintenance are thereby eliminated, the parts will all function reliably over long periods without replacemerit and adjustments are easily made to provide maximum eificiency and reliable operation. Since the timing means is completely enclosed and therefore not exposed to the corrosive or impure waters, the danger of clogging the bypass opening 54 is entirely eliminated and neither can the hydraulic oil in the dash-pot become contaminated or leak out.

It will, of course, be apparent that the amount of water passed by the flush valve also depends upon how far down the operating lever 12 is depressed. For a small amount of water which may be required under certain circumstances, the handle may be correspondingly depressed. However, in all cases where the full flush is required, the handle is reliably and easily operated for its full stroke so that a complete flush is always-assured. Since all of the operating parts are entirely and compactly arranged within the confines of the rubber sleeve valve member 25, the overall size of the flush valve body is greatly reduced, the assembly is facilitated, and fewer parts are required. Only a single pivot 32 for the operating lever 12 is needed, reducing wear and assuring positive and reliable operation.

The lever 12 and body cover 15, together with the thin cover 18, may be positioned on top of the flush valve body 13 in four different angular positions, with respect to the inlet connection 8, thereby reducing the number of different types of flush valves required for different plumbing installations. "Because the flush valve is manually pulled off its seat and does not depend upon water pressures for its operation, the valve will operate satisfactorily on very low pressures where ordinary flush valves would fail to operate.

In the event that the walls of the rubber valve member 25 are punctured by some mechanical means, it will still be possible to operate the valve to its open and closed position. However, where corrosive waters are present, it will be obvious that the operating mechanism, such as the'spring and valve stem, within the valve member may be attacked and eventually fail. The timing mechanism being sealed within casing 40 would still operate reliably for a long time, since the rings 45 and 46 prevent entry of the corrosive waters.

While only a single preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be clear that certain variations of the same could be produced without departing materially from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the invention be not limited to the precise disclosure but only to the extent of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a flush valve, a casing having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet with a valve seat therebetween, a flexible hollow valve member in said casing adapted to be opened and closed with respect to said valve seat to control the flow of liquid through the casing, a valve operating stem extending substantially throughout the length of the hollow valve member and attached to the valve-seating end thereof, said valve operating stem arranged to move said valve member from said valve seat to open the valve, spring means inside said hollow valve member for biasing said valve member to closed position upon said valve seat, means for retarding the closing movement of said valve member including a fluid dashpot means disposed inside said hollow valve member and surroundingsaid valve operating stem, said spring means being arranged between said dashpot means and the valve-seating end of said hollow valve member, said dashpot means including means freely movable within the fluid therein in response to movement of said valve operating stem in valve ope-ning direction, and means for restricting movement of said movable means within said fluid when said valve operating stem is moved in valve seating direction, said restricting means being arranged within said valve operating stem and being adjustable to control the rate of movedashpot means includes a cylinder, and said movable means comprises a piston movable within said cylinder and operatively connected to said valve operating stem, and said restricting means includes a fluid flow passage extending longitudinally of said valve operating stem and having communication with the interior of the cylinder on opposite sides of the piston, and an adjustable restrictor member for restricting fluid flow through said passage.

3. The structure described in claim 2 wherein said dashpot means includes a cylinder member supported at one end from the valve casing, and having at its opposite end an axial extension in the form of a bearing sleeve for the valve operating stem which extend-s through said sleeve and has sliding engagement therewith, and wherein said spring encircles said bearing sleeve and valve operating stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 570,306 Turner Oct. 27, 1896 588,765 Draullette Aug. 24, 1897 793,698 Walter July 4, 1905 845,373 Payne Feb. 26, 1907 859,371 Coyle July 9, 1907 1,063,230 Watrous June 3, 1913 1,063,639 Beck June 3, 1913 1,108,276 Tetlow Aug. 25, 1914 1,722,155 Myer July 23, 1929 2,603,445 Marchant June 15, 1952 2,781,519 Marchant 1. Feb. 19, 1957 2,840,340 Kaufmann June 24, 1958 2,918,248 Schoenrock Dec. 22, 1959 

1. IN A FLUSH VALVE, A CASING HAVING A LIQUID INLET AND A LIQUID OUTLET WITH A VALVE SEAT THEREBETWEEN, A FLEXIBLE HOLLOW VALVE MEMBER IN SAID CASING ADAPTED TO BE OPENED AND CLOSED WITH RESPECT TO SAID VALVE SEAT TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF LIQUID THROUGH THE CASING, A VALVE OPERATING STEM EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE HOLLOW VALVE MEMBER AND ATTACHED TO THE VALVE-SEATING END THEREOF, SAID VALVE OPERATING STEM ARRANGED TO MOVE SAID VALVE MEMBER FROM SAID VALVE SEAT TO OPEN THE VALVE, SPRING MEANS INSIDE SAID HOLLOW VALVE MEMBER FOR BIASING SAID VALVE MEMBER TO CLOSED POSITION UPON SAID VALVE SEAT, MEANS FOR RETARDING THE CLOSING MOVEMENT OF SAID VALVE MEMBER INCLUDIG A FLUID DASHPOT MEANS DISPOSED INSIDE SAID HOLLOW VALVE MEMBER AND SURROUNDING SAID VALVE OPERATING STEM, SAID SPRING MEANS BEING ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID DASHPOT MEANS AND THE VALVE-SEATING END OF SAID HOLLOW VALVE MEMBER, SAID DASHPOT MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FREELY MOVABLE WITHIN THE FLUID THEREIN IN RESPONSE 